WPLN’s Meribah Knight is one of six reporters selected to participate in ProPublica’s Local Reporting Network. Starting in September, this yearlong grant will allow public broadcasting organizations like WPLN News to dedicate time and reporting power to accountability journalism.
ProPublica is an independent, nonprofit newsroom that produces investigative journalism in the public interest. Its reporting has contributed to the passage of new laws; reversals of harmful policies and practices; and accountability for leaders at local, state and national levels. Since it began publishing in 2008, ProPublica has received six Pulitzer Prizes, five Peabody Awards, three Emmy Awards and eight George Polk Awards, among others.
ProPublica will work with reporter Meribah Knight and editor Emily Siner, along with reporters and editors from KPCC/LAist (Los Angeles), KUCB and CoastAlaska (Unalaska, Alaska), Oregon Public Broadcasting (Portland), VPM (Richmond, Virginia), and WRKF and WWNO (Baton Rouge, Louisiana, and New Orleans). Topics covered by these newsrooms will include criminal justice, racial injustice, the environment, safety and education.
“As local newsrooms across the country continue to experience cutbacks, public radio serves an increasingly important role in informing communities,” ProPublica senior editor Zahira Torres said. “We need accountability reporting at the local level now more than ever. I look forward to working with these newsrooms to support their ambitious projects.”
WPLN News has also been investing in its investigative and accountability reporting, including releasing a podcast last month investigating cases of deadly force in the Nashville police department. See some of WPLN’s recent investigative work here.
On Air - 90.3 WPLN-FM